The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

A 19-year-old British man died of cancer, which his doctors had chalked up as simple anxiety. Two days before he died last September, he was found to have massive tumors all over. A 4.4 pound tumor was discovered on his chest, which affected his heart and lungs, and others were found in his neck as well as his skull.

The man began feeling ill in July 2006 and visited his family doctor complaining of excessive sweating and hair loss. The doctor ordered blood tests, and stated they were abnormal, but nothing to worry about. Other blood tests diagnosed him with mild anemia. He had a persistent cough, developed prominent blue veins across his chest, and began to lose his voice. The doctors said he was probably suffering panic attacks and allegedly told him at one point to “grow up and stop worrying.”

He worked at a charity, but had to quit when he began to suffer fainting spells. He was taken by an ambulance after suffering chest pains, vomiting and complaining of a headache. Tests were ordered by a different doctor than he’d seen in the past and was told he had a possible anxiety related problem, and was advised to go back to his general practitioner.

Now he’s dead, and the family would like some answers. Both the young man’s doctor and the doctor at the hospital have denied ever stating that the problem was all in the man’s head. Both insist they took appropriate steps. Two independent reviewers of the case have said there were “several missed opportunities” to diagnose cancer, and that the family doctor should have recognized that night-time sweating is a symptom of lymphoma. While family doctors often see people with night sweats that are related to benign causes, the reviewer believes the doctor should have looked further into the abnormal blood tests. The case is set to continue next week.

While this happened in the United Kingdom, this sort of negligence happens in the US, too. Doctors may often see patients who believe they are suffering from serious ailments, but are in fact more innocent, but this does not mean they shouldn’t give each case ample consideration. Ignoring someone’s fear and pain simply because one has become jaded or inured to these things can lead to serious injury or death.

If you have lost a loved one due to a doctor’s failure to diagnose cancer, please contact the experienced medical malpractice attorneys at the Cochran Firm. We serve clients nationwide.